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| Egypt Nile Cruise |
Since the events at Tahrir Square, many tourists have been reluctant to travel to Egypt. Each time a new incident arises, tentative travellers would cancel their plans with renewed concerns. The result has seen the country's visitor numbers fall by some 90%.
With international press holding a dim view of safety in the country, Egypt's Minister of Tourism Hisham Zaazou has even spoke of promoting Egypt without Cairo.
But is Egypt too dangerous to travel to? And how can you stay safe whilst there?
General safety
Egypt is a developing country for which one of the major sources of income is tourism. As a result, there is a dedicated police force for tourists. And in many respects, the risks of travel are no more than any other parts of the world.
It's worthwhile to be vigilant with your belongings when out and about as tourist areas can get very busy. If you're travelling independently (without a tour group), and especially if you're a lone traveller, it's worth checking into a nicer hotel and avoiding public transport.
Due to the increased perception of risk, many hotel and tour operators have stepped up their security to make their international guests feel protected. Many have hired armed guards to travel with their tour groups.
For the most up to date information about a region, the Foreign Office is still the best guide. The travel advice status is regularly updated Monday to Friday while the general safety information lists every major incident over the last few years.
If for nothing else, you know that you will be insured as many travel insurance companies will follow its advice. If you're not sure, it's always worth checking with your insurer.
Out and about
You can safely walk on the streets, even at night but you should always carry some form of ID and avoid any signs of trouble. Many people speak a little English but most will speak only Arabic.
People will offer to show you tourist spots for payment or invite you to take a tour on their horse drawn carriages. If you're not interested, simply ignore them. If you want to take photos, it's always wise to ask first.
As Egypt is an Arab country, for women especially, you should cover shoulders and knees and not dress revealingly.
On board a cruise
Most cruise boats will have guards on board and some might even operate from a private dock for increased security.
When you're not in your room, you should always close the windows as you never know when a boat will be docked next to yours. So even if you're docked facing the river in the morning, you might come back later in the day to find the window of another boat obstructing your view.
As you cruise along the Nile, there will also be people on row boats who will strap themselves on to the cruise boat with ropes to try an make a sale. It can feel like the boat is being pirated but if you don't want to buy anything, just ignore them.
At tourist sites
At tourist sites is when you will get the most hassle to buy things from vendors.
Adults and children will crowd around you with their goods and try to make a sale. It can feel quite aggressive sometimes but you generally don't need to worry.
If you're interested, you can stop to browse but if not, simply avoid eye contact, walk on and ignore them. It feels rude doing this at first but it's the accepted way of declining. If you speak to the vendors, they will keep following you thinking that you're just trying to haggle for a good price.
Egypt's tourism website also offers some great local travel advice. See www.egypt.travel for more information
